Electric cooking device



Oct. 20, 1936. J. T. CALLAHAN ELECTRIC COOKINGY DEVICE Filed July 51',

, 1212126721307? J'aws L7. Z/zago. Z3 9J/QM cg Patented Oct. 20, 1936 PATENT "OFFICE ELECTRIC COOKING DEVICE James T. Callahan, Allston, Mass., assignor to Walter B. Bowser, Newton Hghlands, Mass.

Application July 31, 1934, Serial No. 737,756

3 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in cooking devices and particularly to a device for electrically cooking frankforts and the like.

The object of the invention is to provide an electric device of novel construction in which frankforts and like meat products, or plain meats, may be cooked quickly and effectively and in a manner to retain all the natural flavor of the frankforts or meat. v

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel means whereby frankforts of different sizes may be supported in close proximity to their ends in order that an electric current passing therethrough will effectively cook the entire frankfort.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel means whereby an electric switch controlling the electric current to the frankforts may be actuated automatically by the raising and lowering of the cover of the device, said switch always being open when thel cover of the device is raised and closed when the cover is lowered, thereby eliminating any hazard there might be from short circuits occurring when the frankforts are attached to or removed from the electrodes.

The device furthermore includes a time switch mechanism, to the end that the cooking operation may be accurately timed.

The invention consists in an electrical cooking device as set forth in the following specilcation and particularly as pointed out claims thereof.

Referring to the drawing:-

Fig. 1 represents a plan view of an electrical cooking device embodying my invention, the cover of the cooking compartment being removed and portions of the casing and mechanism being broken away and illustrated in section', while other portions of the device are broken away to save space in the drawing.

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. l, looking in the direction of the arrows on said line.

in the Fig. 3 is a detail sectional elevation taken on interior of the casing into a cooking compartment Il and a switch compartment I2. The cooking compartment Il is provided with a cover I3 having a glass panel I4 embodied therein through which the meat products being cooked are visible and said cover is hinged to the casing 5 at I5. A drip tray I6 is provided for the cooking compartment Il, being mounted to slide in suitable grooves provided therefor in the casing 5 and any drlppings from the meats being cooked will drop upon said tray.

Mounted in the cooking compartment II and supported upon insulating plates I1 and I 8 secured to the end wall 9 and partition I0' respectively are bars I9 and 20 having pins 2l and 22 respectively projecting upwardly therefrom upon which frankforts 23, or similar meats or meat products, may be impaled in close proximity to each extremity thereof. The bars I9 and 20 constitute electric conducting members and form a part of the electric circuit which is utilized as a means for cooking the frankforts or meats and the pins 2l and 22 constitute electrodes, and when the frankforts are impaled thereon the electric current passes from one bar to another through the frankforts.

The bars I9 and 2U are positioned in parallel relation one to another within the compartment II and the bar 20 is adjustable relatively to the bar I9 in order that frankforts of different lengths may be impaled in close proximity to their ends uponthe pins 2| and 22. The bar I9 is detachably mounted in openings 24 and 25 provided therefor in the insulating plates I1 and I8 respectively and a spring 26 seated in a recess 21 at one end of said bar engages a layer of insulating material 28 inserted in the end wall 9 and acts to maintain the bar in contact with a yielding electric contact member 29 mounted upon the insulating plate I8.

The bar 20 may be inserted in any one of a plurality of openings 30 provided therefor in the insulating plate I1 and a spring 3l seated in a recess 32 at one end of said bar engages a layer of insulating material 33 inserted in the end wall 9 and acts to hold the bar in yielding engagement with a rod 34 constituting an electric conducting Vmember mounted upon the insulating'plate I8, said rod forming a part of the electric circuit. The extremity of the bar 20 which engages the rod 34 is groo'ved at 35, see Fig. 3, and has sliding engagement with said rod 34. When thev bar 20 is placed in position in the compartment I I, the end thereof which has the spring 3| seated therein is inserted in one of the openings 3U and said bar is `the device will then forced into said opening against the tension of the spring 3| until the grooved end oi' the bar is interlocked with the rod Il and the bar may be inserted in any one o! the openings 30 as required to accommodate the various lengths of frankforts.

The electric conducting member 28 is connected by an electric wire Il to a terminal Il of a time switch mechanism Il mounted in the switch compartment I2 of the casing l. The mechanism. 3B may be of any suitable construction well known in the art and the timing of said mechanism is controlled by a lever l! and the actuation of the mechanism is controlled by a lever 40. Another terminal Il for the mechanism 3l is connected by a wire l! with a terminal 43 for a stationary electric contact member 4I fast to an insulating member I5 mounted in the compartment i2 of the casing l. The contact member M engages a similar contact member l! mounted upon an insulating member Il carried by an arm 4I pivotally attached at one end thereof to the casing 5 at I. The other end of the arm 4l is operatively con nected with the cover Il of the casing 5 by means of a link III, one end of said link being loosely connected at 5i to the arm Il and the other end of said link being connectedat l2 to a lug 5I which is formed integral with and projects downwardly from the under side of the cover I8. A terminal Il for the electric contact member 46 is connected by a wire l5 to a terminal It mounted upon a suitable insulating member 5l mounted' upon the casing 5. A terminal il for an electric contact member l! is mounted upon the insulating member Il and is connected by a wire 60 to an end Il of the rod ll. The contact member 59 engages a similar contact member l2 mounted upon the insulating member 41 and a terminal 63 for said contact member I2 is connected by a wire u to a terminal ll mounted upon the insulating member l1. The terminals I6 and are connected in a well-known manner to a suitable source of electric supply, the connection to said terminals being made through an opening 8B provided in the casing l.

'Ihe general operation of the device hereinbefore specifically described is as followsz-Assuming that the bars Il and' 10 have been positioned in the cooking compartment Il to accommodate the length of frankfurt 2l which is to be cooked, frankforts in suitable number are impaled upon the pins 2i and 22 of the bars Il and 20, said pins penetrating the frankforts adjacent to the extremities of said frankforts. At all times when the frankforts are being attached to or removed from the pins I I and 20 it is necessary that the cover Il shall be located in its raised position and at such times all danger of short circuits occurring because of the operator contacting his hands with the pins 2| and 22 or bars il and 2l is eliminated on account of the fact that the cover Il is operatively connected to the arm Il which carries the electric contact members 4land l2, and the electric circuit between these contact members and their co-operating contact members u and i9 respectively is broken. After the frankforts have been attached to the pins 2l and 2! and the cover I3 has been lowered, if it is desired to time the cooking of the frankforts, the lever 3l of the time switch mechanism Il is actuated in a well-known manner to set the time and the lever 40 is then actuated to start the switch mechanism 3l in operation. 'Ihe electric circuit through be entirely closed and the frankiorts will be cooked for the length of time for which the switch mechanism 38 is set, at the end of which period the circuit will automatically be broken at the switch mechanism Il and' the frankforts will stop cooking immediately.

In cooking the franktcrts it will be understood that when the electric current passes through the frankforts 2l or other meat a resistance will be set up in a well-known manner to cause heat to be generated within the frankforts and the cooking action will take place from the interior of the frankforts outwardly. This cooking action will be very rapid' and effective and all of the natural flavor contained in the frankfort or meat product being cooked will be retained therein.

It is not necessary to utilize the timing portion of the time switch mechanism I8 unless it is so desired, and the electric circuit through this mechanism may be opened and closed at will by operating the lever Il which controls the switch portion of this mechanism.

I claim:

l. A cooking device of the character described comprising, in combination, a casing, a cover' therefor, an electric circuit including an electric lswitch and a pair of relatively parallel bars mounted in said casing and insulated therefrom, one of said bars being adjustable toward and away from the other bar, a plurality 'of pins projecting from each of said bars adapted to have frankforts and the like impaled thereon, thereby closing the electric circuit between the bars, all of said pins being spaced simultaneously to receive frankforts of diderent lengths by changing the position vof said adjustable bar relatively to the other bar, and means operatively connecting said cover to said switch whereby the electric circuit through the frankforts may be controlled by the movement of the cover.

2. A cooking device of the character described comprising, in combination, a casing, a cover therefor, an electric circuit including an electric switch and a pair of relatively parallel bars mounted in said casing and insulated therefrom, one of said bars being adjustable toward and away from the other bar, pins projecting from said bars adapted to have frankforts and the like impaled thereon, thereby closing the electric circuit between the bars, means operatively connecting said cover to said switch whereby the electric circuit through the frankforts may be controlled by the movement of the cover, and a time switch mechanism also embodied in said electric circuit and adapted to automatically break said circuit at the end of a predetermined period of time.

3. A cooking device of the character described comprising, in combination, a casing, an electric circuit including an electric switch, an electric conducting m'emberA and a pair of bars mounted in said casing and insulated therefrom, said insulation including a member provided with openings therein in which an end of one of said bars is insertable, the other end of said bar having yielding sliding engagement with said electric conducting member whereby the bar is adjustable towardsand away from the other bar, and a plurality of j pins projecting from said bars and adapted to have frankforts and the like impaled thereon, thereby closing the electric circuit between the bars.

JAMES T. CALLAHAN. 

